TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto highlighted food security issues in Global Food Security Forum, held on the sidelines of this week's Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, in Nusa Dua, Bali. He talked about the project of the change in land use totaling 16 hectares which he deemed had been degraded to become a national food estate.

“If we restore only 16 million hectares out of the 80 million hectares of degraded land for food production, we can become the breadbasket of the world,” said Prabowo on Sunday, November 14, 2022.

He said 80 million hectares of land in Indonesia had been degraded by capitalist greed. Thus, he proposed a strategy to convert the land function into more productive land. Of the damaged 80 hectares, 8 million hectares were used as food estate and 8 hectares for energy.

The project, according to him, does not require a lot of technology given the country's abundant natural resources that present many advantages and conveniences. The land will be planted with oil palm, sugar palm, and cassava.

Prabowo also expressed optimism that Indonesia is even capable of producing renewable energy production, clean energy, and bioenergy. “With management and technology, you can imagine an increase in production,” said Prabowo.

However, environmental groups considered the Defense Ministry’s food estate project in Kalimantan initiated by Prabowo as problematic. Greenpeace Indonesia stated that the project only exacerbates the climate crisis.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI | MAJALAH TEMPO

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